you can't lie to magic
by MissingMommy
Summary: What Draco is expecting from becoming a Tamer is a lot of hard, dirty work, and a lot of long days. What he isn't expecting is Charlie Weasley. Charlie comes into Draco's life and turns it upside down. :: CharlieDraco, for Laura.


For Laura. Merry Christmas. This kinda spun out of control. I'm not sorry.

The "disaster" that is mentioned during Draco's first day is in reference to chapter 17 of my story, " _The Ties That Bind Us."_

* * *

"Well, Mr Malfoy," the man across from him says, "Dragon Taming is one of the hardest jobs out there, but it is also one of the most rewarding ones. There are many that apply; few make the cut."

Draco gives a quick jerk of agreement. "I understand."

The man, who introduced himself as Damien, has a stern face and his long beard is greying. He folds his hands in his lap with more grace than Draco is expecting. "The reason most don't make the cut isn't because the work is too difficult; it's because all Tamers are required to be able to produce a corporeal Patronus since it is the quickest and easiest way to communicate here," Damien explains.

Draco pulls out his wand for a demonstration. Patronuses were covered in sixth year Defence classes. He had been able to produce a Patronus back then. But that was before everything took a turn for the worst.

He thinks back to the memory that he originally used, one of the few that the war and Voldemort hadn't tainted - his first trip to Ollivander's. He lets the happiness of his wand choosing him to fill his thoughts, the pride on his mother's face, the taste of freedom he felt, the rush of magic in the air.

" _Expecto Patronum_ ," he says.

From the end of his wand, a beautiful shimmering blue raven appears, taking flight, flying first around Draco and then around Damien before it perches itself on Draco's shoulder. He feels relief at the sight of his raven, at the knowledge that even the war hadn't taken his ability to produce a Patronus from him.

"Very good. That's not your first time producing a Patronus, I see." Damien jots something down before looking up at Draco. "The job is yours if you want it."

"I do."

"Good," Damien says. "Very good. For the time being, you'll train under the other Tamers. There are seven different species on this Reserve. You are required to chose one species to specialize in. However, this doesn't mean that you won't interact with the other six species; it just means that most of your time will be spent with the species of your choice. Right now, there are openings for specialists for Hungarian Horntails, Chinese Fireballs, and Norwegian Ridgebacks."

Draco considers his options. He researched this Reserve and its dragons when he decided to get out of London, away from the looks his name caused **.**

Personally, he would've chosen the Ukrainian Ironbelly, but he knew it would be a long shot since there are so few left. He'd seen Chinese Fireballs up close in fourth year and he's not particularly eager to repeat that experience without more…well, more experience with dragons.

"Hungarian Horntails," he decides.

Damien nods and looks down at the roster for the week. He taps the tabletop thoughtfully. "Report to gate four at eight a.m. tomorrow and be sure to bring your broom. The Tamers then will give you a schedule for training," he announces. "There are flats available on the Reserve's grounds or you can find a flat off Reserve. I hope that you enjoy working here." When he's done speaking, he offers Draco his hand.

Draco stands and takes the proffered hand. "I already have living arrangements worked out. Thank you."

He Apparates into the safety of his flat, sinking down onto his bed, wondering exactly what he's getting himself into.

* * *

Draco is standing in front of gate four long before he needs to. But at eight o'clock sharp, two people approach the gate, brooms in hand.

"Damien really should tell us when we're getting trainees," the woman says, rolling her eyes. She eyes Draco critically. "I'm Zoelie," she announces. "How much did Damien tell you about any of this?"

"Very little," Draco answers.

"We need to have a chat with Damien about his briefings with trainees," the man says. His voice draws Draco's attention. The first thing he sees is a head of unmistakable red hair.

"You're a Weasley," Draco states, disbelief coloring his tone.

Charlie frowns. He surveys Draco for a moment. "And you're a Malfoy. Will that be a problem?" he asks.

Draco's stomach sinks at the sound of his last name. He had hoped that he could get away from his past, but there's a Weasley standing in front of him. Upon a closer inspection, he doesn't recognize this Weasley. Maybe he doesn't know about Draco.

"No, it won't," Draco replies tightly.

"Good," he says. "I'm Charlie. Zoe and I will be training you."

Before Weasley - Charlie, Draco reminds himself - can describe the job in more detail, two men slip out the gate, panting slightly. One of the brooms in their hands is smoking. Draco frowns, but neither Charlie or Zoelie appear to be surprised.

"Elyria's a little mad today," one of them says.

"First lesson," Charlie announces, turning towards Draco, "dragons are temperamental on the best of days. Getting close, unless absolutely necessary, is a bad idea. We have danger zones which -"

"Dragons don't tend to heed," Zoelie cuts across. "You always have to be careful. You know how to produce a Patronus, which is good when you're in danger, but a disillusionment spell is the most important spell when dealing with dragons. If they can't sense you, they don't hurt you."

"I see Damien gave you two another trainee," the brunet says. His amusement is evident in his tone.

The raven haired man pulls at the broom the brunet is holding. "Come on, Sal, they'll never finish in time for shift change if we keep talking to them."

As the two men walking away, Charlie calls out, "I hope Damien assigns you two the next trainee. We'll see how well you like it."

Laughter fills the air and neither of them stop walking, just gives them a wave of their hands. Zoelie rolls her eyes. "The day Damien stops assigning us the trainees will be a cold day in hell. He likes to see us squirm too much," she says.

Charlie opens the gate and waits until both Zoelie and Draco are inside. He shuts it firmly behind him. As soon as they are inside, Draco turns to look at the dragons. There's another large gate a bit away; he assumes it's what they meant by danger zone.

"We work 8 hours shifts mostly," Charlie says as they walk towards the second gate. "Throughout training, you'll work the 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. shift. After that, it's mostly 8 to 4, 4 to midnight or midnight to 8 shifts, but you can work pretty much whenever."

"The first thing that the morning shift does is to feed the dragons," Zoelie adds. "It's required to have two Tamers to do, one for distraction and another for delivery. We have eight different adult Hungarian Horntails at this Reserve, though currently only six are here. The biggest one we have is Elyria."

Charlie turns to look at Draco, a grin on his face. "She also happens to be the most difficult one. For most people, at least. She happens to be my favorite."

Charlie's eyes are alight as he talks. Somehow, Draco realizes this is why Damien assigned Charlie and Zoelie to train him; they love their jobs. Not that Draco believes the others don't love their jobs, but there's something _more_ there with these two.

"I'm assuming that there is a height limit spell in place," he says, but it sounds more like a question.

Zoelie's lips pull into a small smirk. "The first one we've had to figure it out before getting in the second gate."

"Is there an expansion spell as well?"

"Yes," Charlie says. "We have a lot of room, sure, but not enough to accommodate as many dragons as we have. The expansion spells are inside of the mountains."

They stop short of the second gate. Zoelie rests her broom against the metal and pulls her blonde hair into a messy ponytail. She and Charlie exchange glances.

"Today, you're going to use a disillusion spell and observe as Charlie and I feed them. We'll see how well you do tomorrow," Zoelie states. "Charlie gets to feed them as I distract. You ready?"

Charlie nods. And he summons the buckets to him. "It takes several rounds to get the amount of food necessary in place. Feeding requires a fair bit of flying, especially if you're the distraction. I hope you're a good flyer, Malfoy."

"It's Draco," he corrects. "Don't you need protective gear?"

Charlie grins. "Why would we want protective gear? Chances of danger is half of the thrill."

"Not everyone is an adrenaline junkie, like you, Char," Zoelie says, laughter in her voice. "We have protective gear. Most of us don't use any because we have more than enough experience not to have to use them. You're welcome to some tomorrow. You're not going to need them today since you'll be by the gate and I won't be leading them near you."

Draco nods. "You'll want me to cast the disillusionment spell when we get inside the gate to know exactly where I'm standing?"

"You catch on a lot quicker than most of the trainees," Charlie says. "When you get into position, you'll cast the spell. Then whatever happens, you aren't to move."

Draco nods again.

"Good," Zoelie says brightly. "You're not going to need your broom for this part. You can just leave it against the gate and collect it after."

When Draco props his broom up, Charlie pushes the gate open. Draco follows Zoelie in. Charlie moves the buckets inside the gate as quickly as possible. Draco can hear the roar of the dragons as Charlie closes the door.

"Spell, now," Charlie commands. "Zoe, take them towards the left. I'll come in from the right."

Draco murmurs the spell and watches as Zoelie swings her leg over her broom. Charlie follows suit, and then grabs ahold of one of the buckets.

They kick off. Zoelie goes to the left, shooting off several charms in quick succession. They are bright and flashy and loud; Draco realizes what they meant by distraction. All six of the dragons follow the sounds and lights coming from Zoelie's wand. He watches as Charlie comes from the right, swooping down to throw out the food, before pulling up from the dive and coming back for a second bucket.

As Draco catalogs each spell Zoelie uses and exactly how Charlie keeps himself out of the dragon's sight, he thinks that he made the right choice coming here. This feels right in a way nothing else really has.

After all four buckets are emptied, Charlie and Zoelie touch down by the door. Draco takes this as a sign to drop his disillusionment spell.

"You catch everything?" Zoelie asks.

Draco nods. "Which dragon is Elyria?"

"You're not going to be able to tell from here, but she's the largest one," Charlie says. He shoves the gate open. "Come on, we're going to show you the Medical Wing for the dragons next. That's where Bastian and Calix are."

"Make sure the door to the gate stays shut at all time," Zoelie tells Draco. "We've had some idiot trainees leave the gate open once. That was a disaster."

The sun is sinking in the sky before Draco makes his way to his flat. After he went his separate ways with Zoelie and Charlie, he acquainted himself with the Reserve. It's a large Reserve in between a large mountain chain and a Wizarding city. There was a map, but he likes to get the feel of **a** place.

The seven gates that keep the dragons separate are along the outer edges of Reserve. The Chow Hall is the closest building to the town, which Draco supposes is smart. It's not a large building at all. The Infirmary is much larger by comparison, with large red lettering on the top. It's not as large as the Medical Wing; the Medical Wing houses hurt and sick dragons which means that it has to be larger than the Infirmary.

The Living Quarters is on the opposite side of the Chow Hall and Infirmary. Draco doesn't have to go into it to know that it comes fully equipped with single dorm rooms and community showers. It's the reason that Draco found accommodations off the Reserve; he likes a little bit more privacy than the Living Quarters would provide.

There's a recreation center behind it that is little more than a bar. There's a library close by, stocked with all the basics information needed for the species on the Reserve and it even has books on the species not found there. But the most impressive building on the Reserve is the Dragon Observatory. While the other building aren't that flashy, the Observatory is the exact opposite.

It's where other Witches and Wizards can come to see the dragons up close. From what Draco can tell, the Observatory is positioned in the middle of the Reserve so that the people can see the dragons without being in danger.

When he gets back to his flat, he lays on his bed and thinks that perhaps he can be happy here.

* * *

Draco goes to work, does his job to the best of his ability and he goes home. After getting food in the Chow Hall, that is. But he doesn't really talk to anyone. He keeps his head down like he planned when left England. It's quiet for the most part, but kind of lonely.

He's leaving work one afternoon when he's stopped by Zoelie calling out, "Why don't you join us for some drinks?"

"I don't drink," Draco replies.

She snorts. "I wasn't talking about alcohol. Charlie over here doesn't like it that much." She shoves her thumb over her shoulder towards where Charlie is standing quietly, for once. "I was talking about hitting up the coffee shop in town."

Draco shakes his head. "No thanks. I'll see you tomorrow."

"You aren't going to make friends with that attitude," Zoelie says.

"I'm not here to make friends," Draco retorts.

Charlie finally steps forward. "No, I don't suppose you are. You came here to get away from all of the press from the Wizarding Trials that followed the war. But keeping to yourself isn't going to change anything, except maybe make working here more enjoyable. You came here for a new start but that only works if you let it."

Draco keeps his face blank. After several long moments, Draco gives in. "Alright," he relents.

That's how Draco finds himself seated across from Charlie and Zoelie in a quiet coffee shop on the outskirts of the town. Draco hasn't touched the coffee in front of him. Charlie and Zoelie are both on their second cup.

"Doesn't the caffeine effect your sleeping patterns?" Draco questions.

Charlie laughs, his head thrown back, his whole body shaking with the force of it. "Caffeine relaxes us more than it keeps us awake," he explains. "Years of adrenaline seems to trump the effects of caffeine."

Draco finally lifts his drink and takes a sip. He immediately regrets the gulp of cold coffee. "Well it's obvious that you both know what I'm here. Why exactly do you care about how well I get on here at the Reserve?"

"Charlie, here," Zoelie says, patting Charlie's arm, "has a thing about believing the best in people unless proven otherwise. And I honestly don't care about what you were up to before coming here. It's highly unlikely that you're going to continuously put yourself in danger to turn around and do something stupid."

Draco's eyes flicker between the two of them. "I can understand yours, but Weasley's?" Somehow he can't keep Charlie's last name from slipping from his mouth, nor the tone that which it does.

Charlie, however, doesn't look surprised at the this. He runs a finger over the rim of his empty cup. He glances up to meet Draco's eyes. "Look, believe it or not, I don't think you're a bad person. Just someone who made a lot of stupid choices and realized it. You're trying to change and change can only happen if you're allowed the chance to."

"You really believe that?" Draco asks incredulously. His eyes furrow as he studies Charlie.

"I heard about your testimony, about how you knew it was Harry and still spared his life, about how you couldn't kill Dumbledore," Charlie replies. "If you were really as bad as everyone else seems to believe, you wouldn't have hesitated."

Charlie looks and sounds too sincere for Draco's tastes. He's not used to such kindness from people, especially a Weasley. He glances away. "You seem to think you know me," he comments.

"I never said that," Charlie says mildly, shrugging. "It's merely speculation. But I would like to know you better. We both would. Kinda why we came here."

* * *

The first few weeks is a crash course of everything Hungarian Horntail. Draco didn't know that he could be _this_ sore, but there's an exhaustion set deep in his muscles. He makes it to the gate right on time, his broom slung over his shoulder.

Charlie and Zoelie are already there, waiting for him outside the interior door as usual. They are both dressed in protective gear.

"What's the occasion?" Draco asks. The pair, along with most of the more experienced Tamers, don't tend to wear protective gear. This is the first time he's seen either of them wear it.

Both turn to greet him. Charlie flashes him a wide grin. "Today, we're gathering potion ingredients and other things to sell. We do this every three months to keep their nests relatively clean."

"And this calls for protective gear, how?" Draco questions, raising an eyebrow.

Charlie laughs. And Draco can't help but to think that it's a sound that he could really get used to. He resists the urge to frown at the thought; instead, he chooses to push it back of his mind to analyze later.

"Just put your usual gear on and you'll find out why even we wear gear for this," Zoelie commands.

By the time the afternoon comes along, Draco understands the need for the gear. Getting the scales and claws from the dragons' nests was more difficult than Draco was expecting.

Unlike feeding, leading the dragons away didn't really help. It was like the dragons could sense that people were in their nests. Keeping them away became more of a trick.

Draco feels the insistent throbbing of the burns on his hands and his neck. When he looks at the other two, they seem in about the same shape as Draco feels. Except, Charlie is still grinning.

Charlie grasps the bag of items they collected and nods to Draco. "I'm going to drop this off with Management. You should go home and put some salve on those burns. Those burns are superficial so salve will heal everything completely."

Draco nods.

"We'll see you tomorrow morning," Zoelie says as the two of them leave.

He goes home. As he's rubbing the salve on the burns, he thinks that he made the right decision in coming to Romania. It's a lot of hard, tiring work, but at the end of the day, Draco feels accomplished.

* * *

The first thing Draco says when he reaches the gate is, "I thought we collected material every three months? And that happened last week."

Zoelie laughs. She isn't wearing any gear, whereas Charlie is. "We are kind of collecting today too, but not material."

"Dragons mate every two to five years. It varies from dragon to dragon. Dragon mating season happens during the summer," Charlie explains. He frowns as he shifts the forearm guard as if he was unused to wearing it. "Last shift reported that they believe Rheya laid an egg."

"We never check for eggs during the night shift," Zoe says. "It's far too dangerous. Since we're on morning shift until you're considered fully trained, we're tasked with confirming that there is an egg and retrieving it."

Draco is slipping on his gear. "Why would we remove the egg?"

"There are seven other dragons. A dragon hatching an egg is extremely territorial. Fights can occur because of it and the egg can be crushed. It's safer for everyone if the egg is removed," Charlie explains.

Zoelie pulls her hair into a tight bun. "You and I are going to get the attention of as many dragons as we can. We're not going to get the interest of all of the dragons with an egg being in the nest. Charlie is going to use a disillusionment charm to sneak in and get the egg. When he secures it and reaches the gate, he's going to send up a green sparks. That will be our cue to get out."

"Reminds me of the Triwizard Tournament," Draco mutters.

Mention of that makes both of them frown. "Something like that," Charlie answers. "Only we're more experienced than a bunch of school aged kids." There is a bitter tone to his voice that Draco doesn't understand.

"Five years later and Charlie is still angry about that," Zoelie says, patting Charlie's protected arm.

"The Ministry endangered the lives of hundreds of people for _entertainment_ ," Charlie exclaims. "You bet I'm still furious about that! Elyria got loose, for Merlin's sake. It could've had been so much worse than it was. We had a hell of a time getting Elyria back under control."

Draco frowns. "The dragons for the first task came from this Reserve?"

Zoelie nods. "We argued against it; all the Tamers did, but the Ministry was adamant about the dragons."

When Draco finishes putting on his gear, Charlie casts a disillusionment spell as Draco and Zoelie mount their brooms. With a flick of her wrist, Zoelie opens the door. "I'm going right. You can go left. Remember, keep an eye out for the green sparks," she reminds him.

Draco kicks off, hard, and rises quickly. He turns his broom to the left and starts firing off spells. He glances back momentarily to make sure that the door was closed. When it is, Draco concentrates on his flying and his spellwork. He hears some of the dragons following him, barely avoiding the fire that the dragons spit.

He barrel rolls to the right and then back to the left. He dives and rises. All the while he continues to fire off spells and keeping the gate in his sight. He's so immersed in the thrill of it that he almost misses the green sparks that comes from the gate.

He lands on the other side of the door, next to Zoelie. Charlie dropped his disillusionment spell when he spots them.

"You got it?" Zoelie asks.

Charlie rolls his eyes. "You think I would signal you if I didn't? Let's get this to the Hatchery."

The egg in Charlie's hand is smaller than the one Draco's seen. "May I?" Draco asks, nodding towards the egg. Charlie grins. He gently shifts the egg into Draco's hand. It's green with lighter green spots and the shell is softer than he is expecting.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" Charlie asks. Draco makes a sound of agreement. "We really need to get this one to the Hatchery. Eggs can't get too cold or they won't survive."

"How long until this one hatches?" Draco asks. He's extremely careful not to move the egg too much as they head off towards the Hatchery.

Zoelie falls into step next to them. "Five months," she answers. "It'll take several years for the dragons to grow to full size. Until then, they are kept away from the adult **s** , for their protection."

When they walk into the Hatchery, the first thing Draco notices is how _hot_ it is. He supposes it to keep the eggs at a perfect temperature. The next thing he notices is that there are just three other eggs in the building, all occupying their own space. There are two people monitoring the eggs; the Hatchery specialists. It takes them several moments to realize they have company.

A short woman with spiked black hair holds her gloved hands out in front of her. "Which breed?"

"Hungarian Horntail," Charlie replies. "Which other ones mated?"

Draco transfers the egg to the woman's outstretched hands as gently as he could. The woman takes several steps before placing it in it's own incubator.

"So far, your Horntail, the Common Welsh, the Short-Snout, and the Ironbelly," she answers. She points to each incubator as she talks.

"Ironbelly," Zoelie remarks. "That's good."

The woman hums. "Very. And since it's still early in the mating season, there are a possibility for more Ironbelly eggs." She turns back to the incubator with the Horntail egg and grabs a clipboard. She jots some notes as she says, "Well, your egg is safe. The softened shell indicates that it was laid late last night. The heat will harden it in a few hours. We'll let you know when it's close to hatching."

"Thanks," Charlie says.

As they leave, Draco frowns. "Why would you need to be notified about the hatching?"

"Mostly for naming," Zoelie says. "But sometimes, a Tamer gets super involved in an egg's progress. Like the Ironbelly specialists would be very curious about their egg's development, considering that Ironbellies are verging on extinction."

* * *

When Draco's shift ends, he touches down next to Charlie and Zoelie. The door is shut firmly behind them before Draco allows the wariness of the day wash over him. His muscles have long since stopped aching as they have come accustom to the demands of the job; it also helped his movability when he stopped wearing the gear. Zoelie stops him before he can leave.

"Well, this is your last day as a trainee," she says. "You've gotten comfortable enough with the dragons that you no longer wear protective gear outside of gathering. Your flying is great and your handling of gathering days and mating season have been impressive."

"Damien sends out schedules on Sundays. Keep an eye out for them," Charlie says. "He may keep you on morning shifts for a while. Since you've been our trainee, we have been the only ones on morning shifts, unless you count the Tamers in the Hatchery. Now that you'll be a Tamer, your shift won't always coincide with ours, but there is a good possibility that they might."

"Now you can request more hours. Congratulations," Zoelie says.

Draco nods. "Thanks. What am I exactly looking for with the schedules?"

They both snort. "Let's just say that you couldn't miss the schedules, even if you tried," Charlie says, laughter coloring his tone.

* * *

With becoming a specialist, Draco's hours increased from forty-eight hours to...well, he isn't exactly sure how many hours he's been working. He takes as many double shifts as Management allows. Most of the time, he works with the Hungarian Horntails, but occasionally it's the other breeds. He likes it when it's the Ironbellies.

When his shifts are over, he finds himself in the Hatchery, looking at all of the eggs. There are have been several additions - another Horntail from Aster, another Fireball, and another Ironbelly, much to the excitement of their specialists. Draco's studies the Ironbelly eggs to satisfy his own curiosity.

And then he moves towards the incubator that Rheya's egg is sitting in. He picks up the clipboard to read the progress notes from the Hatchery specialists.

"Checking up on the egg?" Charlie asks.

Draco turns around, clipboard still in hand. "Occasionally. I get curious," he says.

Charlie snorts. "They say you're in here at least once a day. I would say you're a little more than curious." He takes the clipboard out of Draco's hand and glances over it before he puts it down. "I was just as curious about the first egg that was picked up when Zoe and I were being trained."

"And?" Draco asks before he can stop himself.

Charlie smiles at Draco. "I told you on your first day that Elyria was my favorite," he says. "She's not my favorite because she's more fierce than the rest; she was the first egg we got from mating season. First one that I saw hatch. She was a beauty, completely black when she hatched, with these brown eyes. It was in that moment that I realized that I made the right decision in turning down the Quidditch pro offers to be a Tamer."

"You played Quidditch?" Draco asks.

"I was Gryffindor's Seeker," Charlie says. "My mum wishes that I would've taken the offers to play pro. But I wouldn't trade this for anything." He pauses for a long moment. "Have you decided whether or not coming down here was worth it?"

Draco frowns as he stares at the egg. "I'll let you know when I figure it out."

"Fair enough," Charlie says. "You should get some sleep. It looks like you could use it. I'll make sure that you're contacted when this one goes to hatch."

Draco doesn't understand why Charlie would do that, but he doesn't question it. There's a lot of things that Charlie has been doing recently that Draco doesn't understand and doesn't question. He just gives Charlie a nod and walks out of the Hatchery to Apparate home.

* * *

Draco had just gone to bed, wariness of a double shift deep in his bones, when a Patronus comes through his flat. He's blinking sleep out of his eyes when it speaks.

" _Our egg is hatching. Won't be more than half an hour,_ " Charlie's voice says.

The Patronus is a dragon. If Draco hadn't been working on the Reserve, he wouldn't have been able to tell the difference. But the Patronus before him looks a lot like a young Chinese Fireball. Draco snorts at the fact that Charlie's Patronus is a dragon. He slips into clean clothes and grabs his wand from under his pillow. He Apparates in front of the Hatchery with a loud 'crack'.

He pushes the door open. As he looks around, the Hatchery is holding four eggs, all close to hatching. Both Charlie and Zoelie are standing there. "Thanks for the heads up."

"No problem," Charlie says. "You look like hell."

"Pulled a double," Draco answers. "I just got to sleep when I got the message."

Zoelie points towards the egg. "See the cracks? It means it won't be much longer. It's already trying to break out."

Draco smiles as the egg shakes again.

"Magical, isn't it?" Charlie asks. Neither of them notice that Zoelie slips out.

The egg shakes hard again and it cracks further. Then slowly, the cracks breaks completely. The baby dragon shakes, trying to get off the remaining egg shell parts.

Draco has never been more amazed in his life. The baby dragon looks around the room before crawling it's way towards Draco. It's body is an emerald green, darker than the shell was and it has bright sea green eyes that blinks up at him.

Charlie grins and Draco can't help but to grin back. "It seems that this one likes you. Can you pick it up for a moment? I need to check if it's female or male." When Charlie notices Draco's hesitation, he says, "You're not going to hurt it."

Draco picks up the dragon, grateful when the movement doesn't seem to hurt it. He brings the dragon closer to him and it wiggles a lot, but this doesn't seem to defer Charlie.

"How many dragons have you seen hatched?" Draco asks.

Charlie doesn't stop his overview of the dragon. "About a dozen. Some live to adulthood, but a lot of them don't. I'm surprised you didn't squirm when this one hatched."

"It isn't the first dragon I've seen hatched," Draco replies. The dragon digs painfully into Draco's unprotected arm. "In first year, I was there when Hagrid hatched his dragon. Well, not in the cabin; I was outside, but this wasn't much different."

"Ah, Norberta," Charlie says. "She's actually here. Brought her here myself when Ron wrote to me about her."

The dragon didn't like whatever Charlie did next because it bit Draco's arm. It's harder than he's expecting for a newly hatched dragon. He barely keeps from dropping it. "Shit," he curses.

"Sorry," Charlie says. He runs a soothing finger down the baby dragon's back. "She's healthy. I've been here long enough to name a dragon. So go ahead."

Draco runs a hand up and down the dragon's back. The color reminds him of Slytherin, of his family, and of the tradition his mother's family had. He smiles down at the dragon. "Lyra," he decides on.

"Constellation name?" Charlie questions. "I thought that was a Black family tradition."

"My mother was a Black before marrying my father," Draco says. "What do we do with Lyra?"

Charlie takes Lyra gently from Draco and places her back in the incubator. "She stays another night in the Hatchery. Tomorrow, she'll be transferred to the area for baby dragons until she's big enough. After that, she'll be with the young dragons."

Charlie writes the dragon's name on a piece of paper. "Can you give me the time?"

Draco taps his wrist with his wand. "It's 4:28," he says. He pockets his wand. When he examines where Lyra bite him, it looks red but it doesn't hurt.

Charlie adds the time under the name and props it in front of the incubator. He nods towards the door. "We should go get that bite of yours checked out. Untreated and it can be bad."

On the way to the medical wing, Draco asks the question that has been bugging him since he first saw Lyra. "Why doesn't she have scales?"

"Baby dragons aren't born with any. They won't develop them for a few months," Charlie answers. "Their first scales are softer than normal ones before they grow their adult scales. It's a lot like human's baby teeth, actually."

As Charlie talks, his eyes light up like they did the first day that Draco met him for training. Draco doubts that Charlie's amazement of dragons will ever go away but there's something comforting in that knowledge.

Charlie stays with Draco as the Healers check out the bite wound. Charlie has been infuriating Draco for months now. There's something about the way that Charlie just accepts Draco in a way that he's never experienced before. He feels like he got a fresh start with Charlie. But maybe, there's a part of him that enjoys the fact that he did, in fact, get the fresh start that he wanted when he first came here.

* * *

It's been a tough couple of weeks and he's finally gotten some well deserved time off, Charlie muses as he sits down across from his family. He hasn't been home in a while, even if he tries. He can't help the pain of guilt in his heart when he realizes just how long it's been since he's been home.

Bill and Fleur are sitting on the loveseat, a blue eyed toddler sitting on Bill's knee, shrieking with laughter as Bill bounces his knee. While Percy's eyes never light up like they used to, he looks happier than he has in years, his arm around a very pretty brunette that probably has the power to bend Percy to her beck and call.

George, Charlie thinks, is better than he was. He would never get over Fred; Charlie doubts any of them would, but most importantly, George wouldn't. But his eyes aren't as haunted as they have been. It's a start down a long road of recovery for George. Charlie thinks it has to do with Ron leaving the Aurors to help him with the joke shop.

Ron, Harry, and Hermione are together as they always have been. Ginny is tucked against Harry's side. There's a ring on Ginny's finger that wasn't there before. There's so many things that he is missing while he's in Romania, working, and it's moments like these that make him wonder if it's worth it.

He feels a slap on the shoulder. When he turns, he meets the eyes of Bill, who has little Victoire against his other side.

"Feeling like you're missing everything when you're in Romania?" Bill asks.

Charlie smiles. He's long since stopped questioning how Bill just _knows_ these types of things. "Yeah," he agrees softly. "When did they grow up?" he asks.

"When we weren't looking," Bill responds. He shifts Victoire in his arms.

Molly calls that dinner is served. It puts a fire under everyone to get to the dining room to grab a seat. Bill and Charlie laugh at it.

Charlie holds his hands out. "Since I'm sure you and Fleur haven't really had time to feed yourself without worrying about this one, I figure I can help."

Bill looks conflicted. "You don't have to," he says softly.

"Gimme," Charlie says, making the motions with his hands. "If I can deal with dragons all day, I can figure out how to feed myself and Victoire at the same time. Can't be that difficult."

Bill snorts as he allows Victoire to be shifted from his grip. Charlie hasn't held children often since his own childhood, since Ron and Ginny's births, but it comes back to him naturally. He swings her into the air above her and she shrieks with laughter.

"She's going to be a daredevil," Charlie says as they make their way into the dining room.

Bill chuckles. "You don't have to tell me. As long as she doesn't follow in your footsteps, I'll be fine."

The entire table laughs at that. "Oi!" Charlie says. "There's nothing wrong with Dragon Taming."

At the look on his mum's face, both brothers decide to let the conversation drop. Charlie takes a seat, putting Victoire into his lap, facing the table. "What do you like? Hmm? Mashed potatoes are a good option."

He spends the dinner alternating between feeding himself and feeding Victoire. When he's busy with feeding Victoire, he asks about his brothers and sister's lives. He questions George about the joke shop and Ginny about the engagement and his dad about how his department is doing. He hasn't remembered a dinner like this in ages.

Then a shimmering blue Patronus flies through the window. It's a beautiful Hungarian Horntail that flies into the room. It's smaller than the ones he's used to working with, around the size of Lyra, but Charlie bets if it could be any other color, this Patronus would resemble Elyria's shimmering black scales. There's a feeling in the pit of his stomach that makes Charlie believe that the Patronus is for him, but he doesn't recognize it.

He's giving Victoire back to Bill, just in case, as the dragon opens it's mouth to speak. " _Charlie,_ " the voice says. It doesn't take him long to place the voice. " _We know that you're on vacation but -"_

" _Will you hurry up?"_ the unmistakable voice of Zoelie cuts in.

" _If you shut up, maybe,"_ Draco retorts. " _Elyria has -"_

" _Duck!"_ Zoelie screams.

"Protego _,"_ Draco says. " _Elyria's taken a turn for the worse and as you can probably -_ Protego Totalum _\- tell, she's a little upset. The Healers say that she won't make it through the night."_

" _If you want your goodbyes, you gotta come now,"_ Zoelie cuts in, obviously annoyed.

And then the dragon curls itself around Charlie's body, as if it could provide comfort, before it disappears. He's faintly aware that he's shaking. Elyria is his favorite dragon. He doesn't know how to deal with the **loss** of his favorite one.

"Who's Patronus was that?" Percy asks, breaking through Charlie's silence.

He turns to family. "Another Tamer's," he answers. "I'm really sorry, but I got to go. I know that it's vacation but Elyria is…" he trails off, unable to finish his thoughts.

"Go," Bill says. "But know that we'll be here when you're done."

"Thanks," Charlie answers. "I should be back by tomorrow afternoon. I'm really sorry."

* * *

Charlie unlocks the door to his flat, wariness deep in his bones. Elyria didn't go quietly or easily; she fought until the end. Not that Charlie was really expecting something different. It was Elyria, after all.

He doesn't bother with his keys or his shoes, since he's supposed to be heading back to the Burrow soon. He makes his way into the kitchen, two sets of footfall behind him. He doesn't even bother with the lights. The lights from the window in his living room gives them more than enough to see.

Charlie leans against the cabinets and closes his eyes, sighing heavily. Draco and Zoelie both come to a stop before him. Draco pulls out his wand and silently summoning the bottle of Firewhiskey Charlie keeps and three cups. He pours a generous amount into each.

Charlie picks up one of them with a nod to Draco.

"To Elyria," Draco announces, raising his glass.

Zoelie follows the lead. Charlie raises his. "To Elyria, you will be missed."

The three of them knock back the drink; Zoelie makes a face of disgust and Draco coughs, but Charlie doesn't even feel the burn. He just feels numb. He stares at the empty glass in his hand. He's brought out of his thoughts by the sound of glasses in the sink. He looks up.

"I'm going to go," Draco says. "Lyra's sick too."

Before they can say anything else, Draco Disapparates. Charlie meets Zoelie's eyes. They are sparkling with amusement. He's not sure what she knows but he is sure that he doesn't want to hear it right now.

"Don't," Charlie warns.

"I was there," Zoelie says. "I saw his Patronus."

Charlie groans. Leave it to Zoelie not to know when to leave well enough alone. "I don't have time for this. Can we just not?" he asks.

Zoelie pats Charlie's hand. "You are going to have to face this sometime," she warns.

"Well, right now, all I have to face is my family and a shortened vacation," Charlie replies. He pulls out his wand from his pants pocket. "I'm sure you know you're way out by now."

He watches as she takes his glass and puts the both of them in the sink. "Go back to your vacation. I'm going home to crash for a few before we get another emergency Patronus."

Her grinning is the last thing he sees before he Apparates.

* * *

He reappears a little away from the Burrow so he didn't wake anyone. He heaves over, waiting as the feeling of nausea passes.

The sun is well into the sky when Charlie walks through the door. Judging by the pots and pans and plates in the sink, he's just missed breakfast. He's in no mood to eat, anyways. He passes into the living room where Ron and Bill are playing a game of chess.

Bill looks up. His long hair is pulled back into a ponytail at the base of his head. A few stray strands fall into his face. "You're back."

"Yeah," he says. "It looks like I just missed breakfast. Where is everyone?"

"George had this idea hit him during breakfast. Didn't even finish before he left. Percy went home last night; something about having plans with Audrey's family today. Harry and Ginny had wedding plans to attend to and Mum wanted to go with. And Hermione got dragged into a conversation about some Muggle device with Dad this morning. They are out in the shed talking about it," Bill explains. "And Fleur took Vicki to play in the garden."

Ron grins. "That left me to be able to challenge him to a chess match that he is losing," he says triumphantly.

"It was easier to beat him when he was younger," Bill grumbles. Charlie takes a seat next to his brother's, where he can watch the game. Bill makes his move. "You okay?"

"I will be. Elyria was the first dragon I watched hatch. Seeing her die was difficult, but I can handle it," Charlie says.

Ron takes several minutes before he takes his next move. "So you work with Malfoy?" When he notices Charlie's frown, he adds. "I recognized his voice from the Patronus."

"Yeah," Charlie answers. "For just over a year now."

"If you work with him, why didn't you recognize his Patronus? Aren't you supposed to know every Tamer's Patronus?" Bill asks.

Charlie frowns deepens. "I am supposed to know. I've seen him cast a Patronus before and it was a raven."

"Wait, his Patronus changed?" Bill questions. When Charlie nods, Bill laughs. It's loud and full-bodied. After several long moments, Bill finally controls himself. He sees the looks on his brothers' faces. "Draco fell in love like Tonks did."

There's a long moment of silence before Ron laughs. "Malfoy? In love? That would be the day," he wheezes. When he composes himself, he adds on, "Who could Draco be around long enough to…" he can't bring himself say the words again. He gestures instead, waving his hand, but it's enough to let Charlie know what he means.

There's not many people that Draco is around on regular basis. He mostly keeps to himself when he's not on shift. He eats alone or with Charlie and, occasionally, Zoelie. To think about it, when Draco isn't alone, he's with Charlie and sometimes Zoelie. And realization hits him, hard.

"Oh," Charlie breathes out. " _That's_ what Zoe knew."

He doesn't bother to explain things to his brothers. Ron huffs in annoyance and Bill just gives him a look that makes Charlie wonder if he knew Charlie's realization. It wouldn't surprise him; Bill's always has just known these things.

* * *

Draco is watching Lyra from outside the room. She's been getting better since the Healers were able to help her in time. There's still some missing dark green, almost black, scales, but it's nothing compared to how it was. It's taken weeks for her to get better, and Draco thinks that she'll be back with the young dragons within the week.

"She looks better," a voice says behind him.

Draco doesn't have to turn around to know who it is. It's the one person he's been trying his best to avoid. "She is. It was touch and go for a while, but she's over the worst of it."

Charlie comes to stand next to Draco. "You've been avoiding me," he states.

"I've been busy," Draco corrects.

"Busy avoiding me," Charlie says. "You done everything to be as far away from me as possible since Elyria passed."

Turning away, Draco says, "Look, I have to -"

Charlie grabs Draco's wrist to stop him. "Your Patronus; it changed. That's a big deal."

"Is it?" Draco asks. "Because it doesn't seem that way." When it's clear that Draco isn't going to leave, Charlie lets Draco go.

Draco's been trying to avoid this conversation. His change in Patronus has been bugging him. He can't figure out why it changed or if it was important.

"Tell me, what did you think about when casting the Patronus?"

"Does it matter?" Draco retorts.

Charlie nods. "It does. Just trust me. Was it a different memory?"

Draco frowns as he thinks back. When he casted the Patronus, the first happy memory he thought about was the day Lyra hatch, how Charlie smiled at him when she did. He nods.

"What does it mean?" Draco asks.

"Patronuses only change when someone falls in love, completely," Charlie explains softly.

Draco shakes his head. "That's not possible," he denies.

"That's the only time a Patronus changes," Charlie says. "It wouldn't just change without reason. It's magic; you can't lie to magic."

He shakes his head again. "No," he murmurs. Draco know exactly where Charlie is heading with this - he's in love with the redhead. He meets Charlie's eyes. "It not possible."

Charlie's face softens. "Draco, you can't tell me that you fell so in love with dragons that your Patronus changed because of it. Besides, your Patronus looked exactly like a younger version of Elyria."

When Draco is quiet, Charlie steps forward. "Can I kiss you?"

There's a long stretch of silence. Draco's heart races, undeniably, and his hand sweat. "You," Draco starts, pausing to gather his thoughts. "You want to kiss me? Why?"

Charlie chuckles lightly. "Believe it or not, I actually do _like_ you, Draco. A lot. So yeah, I do want to kiss you."

Finally, understanding of every single moment of questionable things Charlie has done since he started his training hits him. And Draco doesn't want to believe that his Patronus changed because of Charlie, but just thoughts of the other Tamer makes him frustrated and confused and….happy.

Draco crosses the space between and dips his head down to kiss Charlie. It's warm and soft, and it feels like coming home. Maybe, Charlie wasn't so wrong after all. He really can't lie to magic.

* * *

OTP bootcamp: kindness

Also many thanks to both Amber and Bex who looked over this and encouraged me on the journey of writing this. They are rockstars!


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